August 27 update: This year’s Vuelta a España starts in the Netherlands, and the first four stages run through Dutch, German, and Belgian territory. The sprinters will enjoy the opening two flat stages, and this Vuelta has drawn a number of big name sprinters including Tom Boonen, Tyler Farrar, Daniele Bennati, and André Greipel. The Vuelta then pays homage to the Ardennes classics with a stage that includes the Cauberg from the Amstel Gold Race and the Côte de Saint-Nicolas from Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Watch for classics talents like Philippe Gilbert, Damiano Cunego, Fränk Schleck and Kim Kirchen to animate this mini-classic.

From Liège, the Vuelta heads home to Spain and follows a J-shaped course through the Iberian Peninsula. Like this year’s Tour de France, the early stages of the Vuelta course hug the Mediterranean coast. As it heads southwest along the Mediterranean, the Vuelta visits Tarragona, Valencia, Alicante, Murcia, Almerìa, and Berja in southeastern Spain. At Berja, the course turns north and heads into the Sierra Nevada mountain range for three consecutive mountain-top finishes. From the Sierra Nevada, the Vuelta continues north, tracing a jagged course through Spain’s mountainous terrain. The race passes through Córdoba, Cuidad Real, and Talavera on the way to the Sierra de Gredos and Sierra de Guadarrama mountain ranges which rise north of Madrid. From the final mountain stage, which climbs the Puerto de Navacerrada, the Vuelta doglegs south to Toledo for a short time trial. Then, it’s a flat circuit around Madrid for the finale.

It’s a mountainous Vuelta this year, though it skips the Pyrenees (That’s Pyreneos to the locals). The climbers will enjoy the eight mountain stages, which include four especial summit finishes at Alto de Aitana, Alto de Velefique, Alto de Sierra Nevada, and Alto Sierra de la Pandera. The course also includes the difficult Puerto de Navacerrada, which the riders will climb twice during stage 19. Though it finishes on a descent, this stage which runs between Avila and La Granja provides the climbing finale of the Vuelta a España.

The time trial kilometers are minimal in this year’s Vuelta, and the riders will race only 62 kilometers on the time trial bike. The Spanish grand tour opens with a 4.5 kilometer prologue on the motosports track at Assen in the Netherlands. A second race against the watch comes at stage 7 in Valencia. Like the prologue, the Valencia time trial is completely flat. It is also relatively short for a grand tour time trial covering just 30 kilometers. The final time trial of the Vuelta is similarly short. Toledo will host this stage which runs over 27.8 kilometers of rolling terrain. The climbers can’t ignore these time trial stages by any means, but overall, the mountainous course is stacked in their favor.

A Look at the Startlist

The startlist reflects the mountainous nature of the course, with most teams electing to send squads well-stocked with climbers. The general classification boasts a relatively deep field for this late season race, and despite the mountainous terrain, the final kilometer will be crowded with sprint contenders. Allow me to introduce you to your general classification contenders for the next three weeks.

Let’s begin with a Spanish favorite, Alejandro Valverde of Caisse d’Épargne. Excluded from the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France due to a suspension handed down by the Italian anti-doping authorities, Valverde returns to contest his home grand tour. Though he finished second at the 2006 Vuelta a España behind Alexandre Vinokourov, Valverde has tended to find more success in the shorter Spanish stage races like the Vuelta Castilla y León and the one day classics like Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which he won in 2008. Last year, Valverde won a stage and finished eighth at the Vuelta a España. This season, Valverde won the Klasika Primavera, an early season Spanish one day race, a stage and the overall at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, the overall at the Critérium Dauphiné Libéré, and the overall at the recent Vuelta Ciclista a Burgos. Valverde has said he is chasing the general classification at this Vuelta and he will have a strong team to support him, including Joaquim Rodriguez who finished sixth last year. Though the grand tours have not treated Valverde well in recent years, the hilly course of this Vuelta should suit him and a top five finish seems well-within reach.

Three riders who have finished on the podium at the Tour de France will ride this year’s Vuelta and offer a stiff challenge to Valverde’s ambitions. This year’s second place finisher at the Tour de France Andy Schleck claims that he is not riding the Vuelta with ambitions for the general classification. This is always the dilemma of the Vuelta: Which riders are riding for the overall victory and which riders are looking for hard training ahead of the World Championship races in October? This year’s World Championship course in Mendrisio intensifies this dilemma, because it will suit the climbers and the next two Worlds courses are more sprinter-friendly. At the same time, it’s hard to imagine that Schleck would pass up a chance to win a grand tour, especially when the mountainous course of the Vuelta a España suits his characteristics to perfection. If Andy Schleck does choose to leave the Vuelta before Madrid, Saxo Bank is also bringing the young climbing talent Jakob Fuglsang, who will make his grand tour début at this Vuelta. An ex-mountain bike racer, Fuglsang will enjoy the mountainous course of this Vuelta, though it may be too soon to expect a big result from the young Dane. Bottom line: Andy Schleck is a favorite to win this Vuelta, unless he becomes blinded by rainbows.

Cadel Evans has twice finished second at the Tour de France. Despite his high placings, the talented Australian has yet to win a grand tour in his career. Though Evans is no slouch in the high mountains, he has tended to make his results in the time trial stages, and this Vuelta course with its short time trials will not do him any favors. Evans will also be short on team support in the high mountains. The Australian will have strong support from Matthew Lloyd, but Charly Wegelius, who would normally offer solid support in the mountains, rides his third grand tour of the season at this Vuelta. By all accounts, Wegelius was surprised to find his name on the team roster for the race and may not have his best legs ready for the Spanish adventure. The Silence-Lotto roster looks better for stage-chasing in the flatter stages than it does for a defense of the general classification through the high mountains. Still, Evans is a determined rider, and he is unlikely to leave the Vuelta in favor of Mendrisio. The win may again prove elusive, but another podium finish should be within reach.

Ivan Basso needs to win this Vuelta a España. After two years away from the sport on a doping suspension, Basso returned to racing this season with big ambitions, but his first post-suspension grand tour did not go exactly according to plan. Basso won the Giro del Trentino, which serves as a prelude to the Giro d’Italia, raising expectations of a strong run at the Maglia Rosa in May. Instead, Basso watched his team-mate Franco Pellizotti challenge for overall victory at the Giro, while Basso finished fifth overall. Despite several efforts, Basso also failed to win a stage. Pellizotti has already said that he wants to ride as the main man at Liquigas-Doimo for next year’s Giro d’Italia. Pellizotti offered in exchange to support Basso at next year’s Tour de France, but Basso will have also to consider the ambitions of Vincenzo Nibali and Roman Kreuziger, who both finished in the top ten in France this year. For Basso, a win at this year’s Vuelta a España would help end the doubts about his grand tour abilities and give him much-needed leverage within his Liquigas-Doimo team.

Before his suspension, there were few doubts about Basso’s grand tour pedigree. The Italian finished second and third at the Tour de France and won the Giro d’Italia. The Italian has always ridden better in the mountains than against the watch, and this Vuelta should play to his strengths. Liquigas-Doimo, meanwhile, brings a stacked team to the Spanish grand tour this time around, and their roster includes climber Sylvester Szmyd, who won the Mont Ventoux stage at the Critérium Dauphiné Libéré, up and coming stage race talent Roman Kreuziger, and support riders Kjell Carlstöm and Oliver Zaugg. Plainly, Liquigas-Doimo is serious about this Vuelta, though whether Basso can deliver remains an open question. I’ll call Basso for the podium, with a good chance of celebrating victory in Madrid. But I've been wrong many times before.

The Vuelta frequently serves as a proving ground for young grand tour talent. Currently 23 years old, Robert Gesink of Rabobank made his Tour de France début this season, only to crash out before the race hit his favorite terrain, the high mountains. This Vuelta course was made to order for the young Dutch talent, who climbs with a defiance for gravity, but still has work to do in the crono. Gesink finished seventh in the general classification at last year’s Vuelta, including a sixth place finish on the Angliru and a fourth place finish at the ski station at Fuentes de Invierno. Gesink will have support in the high mountains from the experienced Juan Manuel Garate, though the Rabobank team will also chase stage victories with sprinter Oscar Freire. Gesink should improve on his seventh place finish of last year, and has a long-shot chance at overall victory.

Though he has outgrown the young riders’ category, 33 year old Ezequiel Mosquera of Xacobeo-Galicia has rejuvenated his career over the past two seasons with two top five finishes at the Vuelta a España. On the strength of his results, the Spanish Pro Continental team received an invite to the Giro d’Italia this year, though Mosquera had the bad luck to become injured before the start. Xacobeo-Galicia played the small team role to perfection at the Giro and rarely missed a breakaway. They return to the Vuelta this year with the ambition to place Mosquera on the podium. After last year’s fourth place finish, Mosquera is in with a chance, especially in the absence of last year’s podium finishers Alberto Contador, Levi Leipheimer, and Carlos Sastre. The mountainous course suits the Spanish climber well, but the podium looks crowded despite the absence of last year’s top three.

Turning to the general classification outsiders, Igor Anton of Euskaltel-Euskadi has placed 15th and 8th in his two Vuelta a España starts. The 26 year old Anton thrives in the high mountains. He finished on the podium and won a stage at the Tour de Suisse last year and won a mountain stage at the Vuelta a España in 2006. Anton has ridden a quiet season so far and took his only win at the Subida Urkiola. Young riders are an unpredictable bunch, and Anton could either finish squarely in the top ten or go big and make a serious challenge for the overall classification.
In this company, a top five finish would be a great result for Anton. Euskaltel-Euskadi will also bring Olympic road race champion Samuel Sanchez to this year’s Vuelta. Sanchez has shown better in the one day races lately, but he finished third at the Vuelta in 2007 and has built his season around a serious run at the general classification this September. Both Euskaltel-Euskadi riders are wild-cards in their own particular ways, but both should ride well on this mountainous course.

At Garmin-Slipstream, meanwhile, Tom Danielson and Dan Martin will share leadership duties. Danielson has suffered an up and down career which injury has frequently derailed. The American has placed sixth and seventh previously at the Vuelta a España, and he rides better in the mountains than against the watch. This course should suit him well and he recently won a stage and finished third overall at the Vuelta Ciclista a Burgos. Widely touted as the next big American stage-racing talent, Danielson has carried a heavy burden of expectations. If all goes well, he could ride to a very high finish at this Vuelta a España, but we’ve all heard predictions like that before and I hestitate to turn up the hype-o-meter.

Garmin-Slipstream is also bringing the talented young Irish climber Dan Martin to the Vuelta. Martin won the Route du Sud in his first year as a professional and this year he finished second at the hilly Volta Ciclista a Catalunya. This Vuelta marks Martin’s grand tour début after tendonitis ruled out a Tour start. Martin should thrive on the mountainous course, but at age 23, he’ll be headed into uncharted territory when the Vuelta hits its third week. A top ten finish would be a brilliant result for Martin, anything higher would put him in a very select group of elite grand tour riders. Either way, his début should be exciting to watch.

Last, but certainly not least, we turn to the Astana Show. For the Vuelta, Astana will bring Haimar Zubeldia, who has twice finished fifth in the Tour de France. In this year’s Tour, Zubeldia did solid support work for race winner Alberto Contador in the high mountains, and he has always ridden best when the road turns up. A top ten finish for Zubeldia at this Vuelta looks realistic, anything more would be a very nice surprise for the Basque rider. And then there’s Alexandre Vinokourov. The Kazakh returns to racing after a suspension for blood doping during the 2007 Tour de France. Known for his attacking style, Vinokourov won the Vuelta in 2006. So far, his return to racing has brought more controversy than race results, and that pattern seems likely to continue during the upcoming Vuelta.

This Vuelta will be won in the mountains and the suspense should hold until the final stages in the mountains north of Madrid. The promise of eight mountain stages has brought the climbers out in force, and there should be a fierce battle on each of the especial mountain-top finishes. ¡Que tengas suerte! — Gavia

Your first Vuelta a Espana as the race director is coming. How do you feel?

I don’t want to personalize, because I’m part of a mechanism.
I don’t want to be compared to my predecessor, Victor Cordero. But I have the
same feelings a bullfighter has before starting a bullfight or those a kid has
waiting for Santa Claus. I’m conscious of how important a Vuelta a Espana is.

Why should we pay attention to this Vuelta a Espana?

We must follow it because of
its original principles. Because we depart from the Netherlands, which has
demanded our cycling. There we are going to enjoy the nervous pace of the
Classics, Liège and Amstel. And there is a time trial in one of the most
important motorbike circuits, Assen…We will also use parts of the F1 circuit in
Valencia. And there is also the mountains...No one should be disappointed for
the lack of an iconic mountain like Angliru or Lagos de Covadonga, because the
mountain stages in this Vuelta will be amazing. We are the country with the
widest range of geographic features, since we can make a tough Vuelta without
visiting Asturias or the Pyrenees. Apart from the big mountain stages, there
are difficult climbs in every other stages. And of course the time trial in
Toledo…It’s going to be an amazing Vuelta a Espana.

Some teams have complained about the mountain stages...

Yes. There have been riders
and team directors who called us and said ‘These mountains are too difficult,
you have gone too far’. Although some could like it less than others, we know
what the cycling fans want. They love the mountains, and they will have
mountains.

Which stage would you like to highlight?

They are all wonderful.

OK… but what if a friend tells you: ‘Javier, recommend me a stage’

Well, if I have no choice
(laughs) I’d tell him that the Velefique stage is the hardest…but he should
watch the stages in La Pandera, Sierra Nevada… Andalusia will be decisive.

Can the stages in Belgium and the Netherlands be decisive, too?

You cannot win a Vuelta in
these days, but you can lose it. Belgian and Dutch teams will be motivated,
they will attack…And there are Spanish teams not used to the sort of cycling
they race over there. There may be consequences.

What does it mean for the Vuelta to start in the Netherlands?

We are going to be privileged,
because Giro and Tour will also start from there, but we will be first. Some
other activities will take place, for instance the amateur race on Saturday
that has been closed to new admissions because we reached 11,000 riders.

Can an early rest day be damaging?

We had no choice. There is a 1,400 kilometers
transfer. Some teams demanded a third
rest day, and we don’t rule out this idea in the future.

Speaking of the contenders, certainly you will hear ‘Contador is not racing’
a lot.

We would love to have
Contador, but he is not. Despite the fact that he is not coming, the bigger
Contador is, the bigger Spanish cycling will be, and the same for la Vuelta. We
will miss him, but when the race starts, we will have forgotten, because here
are the ones we will follow: Andy Schleck, Valverde, Samuel, Cancellara,
Freire, Basso, Evans...

Favourite rider
for you?

I don’t know. This Vuelta does not have a clear
favourite. The ideal situation will be a
foreign rider against a Spanish one in the third week.

The Vuelta will not be alone. The Eurobasket and the Football (soccer)
League begin the same day.

The ideal situation is not
having competitors, but cycling enjoys a very loyal follower. What’s more, we have a very different broadcasting time.

CAS put in a team you didn’t want: Fuji.

We were ethically forced to allow
all Spanish teams, they have been affected by the economic downturn. But there
was one, Fuji-Servetto, we didn’t want. They won the case and this decision has
to be respected. The only thing I hope is that they don’t cause trouble.

Euskaltel team will also take part. This team has two riders recently
tested positive.

Landaluze is not part of the
team now and Astarloza is waiting for the B-sample. I’ve always trusted
Madariaga, who is firmly convinced of his innocence. Anyway, as I told him,
it’s obvious that we must think about the internal test the teams have, because
they have proven inefficient. We are not thinking of a ban, but if we had done,
it would have not been useful: the Fuji case leaves little to organizers.

Could the presence of Alejandro Valverde, banned in Italy, damage the
prestige of the race?

The Valverde case should have
been finished long time ago. But since the present situation allows him to race
the Vuelta, we can do nothing against him, because we would become judges. It
doesn’t affect our prestige, but other countries can see the things in a
different way…

Basso, Millar, Vinokourov... They all served their suspensions.

And since they served their
suspensions, we must respect the system. Moreover, they should be an example
for others.

It’s imposible not to talk about doping in a big race.

That is the way things are. We
are working on that, on bringing back the credibility of cycling. Here we will
be inflexible. We are going to spend 250,000 euros in doping tests.

We must get rid of doping. Of team radios, as well?

As well. I think it was a mistake
from the team directors not to give the opportunity to race a Tour stage
without radios. In my opinion, it makes races less spontaneous and spectacular.
If we are speaking of security, there are other solutions, like having riders
listening to Radio-Vuelta.

How has the economy affected the race?

The whole advertising market
has been affected (and ours, too). But we will save the budget.

Will the Vuelta be back in Spring?

We wish so, but there are some
difficulties, We are working on 2011 calendar. We must know which races will be
important, how will tey do the selection… We work on this option, it’s true,
but I am pessimistic, because the UCI prefers to have the Vuelta in September
to make the season longer. It doesn’t mean that placing Vuelta in Spring is
free of questions, there are generations that only know our race in the days
it’s raced today.

Will you be willing to reduce the number of days of racing?

If we have a more spectacular
race and the other two big races do the same, I’m ready to have a debate. But
mainly the Vuelta is a monument we must keep the way it is now.

The Basque Government has recently changed and there is a proposition to
have Vuelta back in the Basque Country. Is there any chance?

We have talked with the Basque
Government to see whether the climate is favorable or not. It’s not fair that
the Basque fans, among the best in the world, are not able to enjoy the Vuelta
a Espana.

Universal Sports Inks Four-Year Deal to Broadcast the Vuelta a Espana

LOS ANGELES (July 28, 2009) – Universal Sports announced today it has inked an exclusive four-year multimedia deal to broadcast the Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain), a three-week road cycling stage race that is one of the three Grand Tours of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. Universal Sports will broadcast throughout next month’s Vuelta, beginning with the start in Assen, Holland, on August 29, and ending in Madrid, Spain, on September 22.

The Vuelta will join the Giro d’Italia in Universal Sports’ cycling schedule, giving the network two of the three Grand Tours and firmly establishing Universal Sports as the cable leader in cycling coverage. Additional cycling events on Universal Sports include the Tour of the Basque Country, the Road Cycling and Track Cycling World Championships, other UCI Road and Track events, BMX World Championships, Mountain Bike, Cyclocross and more.

“We’re thrilled to have the Vuelta as part of our growing cycling lineup, allowing us to provide viewers with more of the world’s top cycling events, including two of the three Grands,” said Carlos Silva, president and COO of Universal Sports. “Collectively between Universal Sports and UniversalSports.com, we’ll show every moment of this exciting competition, offering the most broadcast and online coverage of the Vuelta ever.”

Coverage will be led by David Michaels, executive producer of Universal Sports, who brings more than 30 years experience in producing international cycling events. Michaels produced Universal’s highly acclaimed coverage of the 2009 Giro d’Italia this past May.

Universal Sports will provide more than nine hours of Vuelta programming every day during the three-week event. Every stage will be shown LIVE at UniversalSports.com every morning and replayed on Universal Sports network.
Each night, Universal Sports will show an enhanced stage replay in Primetime. Additionally, UniversalSports.com will have an online TRACKER that will show each rider’s location on the course, stage maps, and integrated videos. The site will also offer full-length videos, highlights, photos, recaps, and behind-the-scenes interviews.

Preview: 2009 Route Announcement

January 4 update: Just recently, the 2009 Vuelta a Espana route was announced. The first four stages will take place in the Netherlands before the race moves down the east coast of Spain through mountainous ranges such as the Sierra-Nevada. After stage 13, the race moves north towards the heart of Spain for the traditional finish in Madrid. There are six official mountain stages which is one fewer than 2007 and two fewer than last year. All the mountain stage profiles have been posted (see right). Stay tuned as more information is realized including stage maps and timetables and the latest updates. During the race, you'll find links to live coverage and post race results, photos and video. Steve